It is remarkably cool and gray for a June day in the DC area; it doesn't get this pleasant very often. I am missing the usual radio commentary from PGA Radio; instead, we have an ad hoc team of announcers from ESPN Radio.
Here are the very early leaders:
1. J. Edfors (SWE): -3 (8 holes)
2. F. Jacobson (SWE): -2 (8)
T3. C. Reavie: -1 (13)
T3. K. Streelman: -1 (11)
T3. G. McDowell (NIR): -1 (9)
T3. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -1 (9)
T3. J. Henry: -1 (8)
T3. E. Els (RSA): -1 (8)
T3. D. Love III: -1 (8)
T3. J. Overton: -1 (7)
T3. R. Palmer: -1 (7)
T3. N. O'Hern (AUS): -1 (6)
T3. B. Cauley: -1 (5)
Further updates in the comments as events warrant.
The top 3 players in the world are all paired together. They have just completed their first nine holes -- which were the back nine, since they started on the 10th hole. World Number 1 Luke Donald is four over, Number 2 Lee Westwood is one over, and Number 3 Martin Kaymer is one over.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be a good day.
ReplyDeleteHOLY MOLY! Jeff Overton's an Evansville boy!
ReplyDeleteHe went to North. His dad, Ron, went to Harrison and then played quarterback at Indiana State in the mid 1960s.
ReplyDeleteLeaderboard at Noon:
ReplyDelete1. R. Palmer: -3 (11)
T2. J. Edfors (SWE): -2 (13)
T2. J. Overton: -2 (11)
T3. C. Reavie: -1 (17)
T3. G. McDowell (NIR): -1 (14)
T3. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -1 (14*)
T3. S. Cink: -1 (14*)
T3. D. Love III: -1 (12)
T3. J. Day (AUS): -1 (11)
T3. J. Henry: -1 (11)
T3. B. Jobe: -1 (11)
The two reigning Open champions -- McDowell and Oosthuizen -- are both 1 under through 16 holes.
ReplyDeleteThe top 3 players in the world -- Donald, Westwood, and Kaymer -- are all three over par through 15 holes.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the sun has come out, although there are still a bunch of clouds floating around.
ReplyDeleteGO, OVERTON!
ReplyDeleteBack to E for O.
ReplyDelete2 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T2. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T2. R. Palmer: -2 (17)
T2. F. Molinari (ITA): -2 (2)
Ten guys at 1 under, including DL3, Cink, and Graeme McDowell.
The top 3 golfers in the world are finished:
ReplyDeleteLuke Donald: +3
Lee Westwood: +4
Martin Kaymer: +3
Mickelson's first hole of the day was number 10, a par-three over water. He made a 5, which makes me think he probably went into the water. He parred 11, so he is two over after two holes.
ReplyDeleteBubba Watson -- the Sarah Palin of golf -- had an interesting round. He started on the back nine, and was one over after 11 holes. He then birdied holes three through six to get to three under and take a share of the lead. He then bogeyed holes seven through nine to finish at even par.
ReplyDeletePeter Uihlein, the U.S. Amateur champion, was one under with two holes to go, but he bogeyed 17 and 18 to finish one over.
ReplyDeleteEric's guy Jeff Overton also bogeyed 17 and 18 to finish at one over.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the back nine is playing significantly harder than the front nine.
ReplyDeleteDustin Johnson -- the Michelle Bachmann of golf -- opened with a par on 10, a triple bogey on 11, and a par on 12. So he's three over through three.
ReplyDeleteMickelson birdied 12, so he's at one over.
Ernie Els is in with a two-over par 73
Jim Furyk and Anthony Kim are in with three-over par 74's.
Rory McIlroy, who is, in my opinion, the only young golfer with the talent to be truly great, is playing with Mickelson and Johnson. He has opened par, par, birdie. Given his history in majors, there is a good chance he'll be in the lead at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, I will apologize to Louis Oosthuizen if he wins this tournament.
ReplyDelete3 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDeleteT1. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T1. F. Molinari (ITA): -3 (5)
T3. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T3. R. Palmer: -2 (18)
Fourteen people at one under, including Cink, McDowell, and Love.
McIlroy is thrashing the two high-profile Americans in his group. Through six* holes:
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy: -1
Mickelson: +2
D. Johnson: +4
I guess we won't get into who's the Anthony Wiener of golf.
ReplyDeleteOK, so Phil Mickelson is two over through six holes and he comes to the 16th hole -- a 579-yard par five. Should be a birdie opportunity. Here's what Phil does:
ReplyDelete1. Drives into the rough
2. Takes a driver(!) from the rough and blasts into the rough on the opposite side of the fairway.
3. Blasts out of the rough and into a bunker.
That's the sort of course management that has often prevented Mickelson from winning more tournaments.
The Newt Gingrich of golf!
ReplyDelete4 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDeleteT1. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -3 (9*)
T1. R. Sabbatini (RSA): -3 (7*)
T3. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T3. R. Palmer: -2 (18)
T3. S. Garcia (ESP): -2 (9)
Since McIlroy has already played the back nine -- the toughest part of the course -- now it is just a question of how big a lead he will have at the end of this round.
Oh, and American golfers continue to be useless. Of the top 22 golfers in the field, only 7 are from the US of A.
That's a pretty good comparison for Phil, although I think Phil is a better golfer than Newt was as a politician. Let's say the Al Gore of golf.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy birdies the 1st hole (his 10th of the day). It is his third birdie in a row, and he moves into sole possession of the lead at four under par.
ReplyDeleteIt cannot be reiterated often enough: he is the only golfer in the world who puts up these extremely low scores in major after major. If he ever figures out how to win, golf will finally have a new king.
OK, here's McIlroy's recent form in majors.
ReplyDeleteAt the British Open, he shot a 63 in the first round to take a big lead. The next day, he followed up with an 80 that drove him out of contention. But then he shot 69 and 68 to finish in a tie for third at 8 under.
At the PGA, he shot 71-68-67-72 to finish at 10 under par. He missed getting into the playoff that decided the tournament by one shot.
At the Masters, he shot 65-69-70 to open the tournament, and he had a four-shot lead with one round left. He still had the lead when he teed off on 10. But he shot a 43 on the back, and an 80 for the day.
So he was very, very close to winning the last three majors.
Sergio Garcia, who used to be Rory McIlroy, rolls in a birdie on 12 to get to 3 under par.
ReplyDeletePhil Mickelson birdies the 2d hole (his 11th) to get to 1 over, only five shots behind his playing partner McIlroy.
Here are the Americans who are currently under par:
ReplyDeleteRyan Palmer: -2 (18)
Bubba Dickerson: -2 (14*)
Brandt Snedeker: -2 (9)
Davis Love III: -1 (18)
Chaz Reavie: -1 (18)
Stewart Cink: -1 (18)
Rickie Fowler: -1 (9)
Christopher DeForest: -1 (6)
I'm going to say right now that none of these people will be the 2011 U.S. Open Champion.
5 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -4 (12*)
T2. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T2. S. Garcia (ESP): -3 (12)
T2. R. Sabbatini (RSA): -3 (9)
T5. R. Palmer: -2 (18)
T5. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T5. B. Dickerson: -2 (15*)
T5. K. Kim (KOR): -2 (14)
T5. A. Baddeley (AUS): -2 (10)
T5. B. Snedeker: -2 (9)
McIlroy rolls in his fifth birdie of the day on the fourth hole (his 13th). He now has a two-shot lead, and he has five holes to grow it further.
ReplyDeleteNow it's getting really cloudy and rain is starting to fall.
ReplyDeleteI'll be rooting for Chris Williams from Moscow, ID. His father plays in the UI golf league.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy makes a very easy birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. He is now six under, he has a three-shot lead, and he has three more holes to add to that lead.
ReplyDeleteChris Williams is two over through nine holes. He still has to navigate the very difficult back nine.
ReplyDeleteDustin Johnson doesn't have to worry about blowing a third-round lead, or losing on a controversial ruling. He is five over par through 14 holes.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. The Twitter desk is consistently amused by McIlroy, so I will have no problem rooting for him if Evansville's Jeff Overton or GLOP-related Chris Williams fails to storm his way to the championship.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my new SI is in today. I haven't gotten very far in it yet, but Hale Irwin won the U.S. Open and the guy who owns Sambo's has interest in the new Honolulu WFL team and New Orleans NBA team.
ReplyDelete6 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (16*)
T2. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T2. C. DeForest: -3 (10)
T4. A. Rocha (BRA): -2 (18)
T4. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T4. R. Palmer: -2 (18)
T4. K. Kim (KOR): -2 (17)
T4. S. Hend (AUS): -2 (17*)
T4. S. Garcia (ESP): -2 (16)
T4. A. Baddeley (AUS): -2 (13)
It's been raining fairly steadily, but there hasn't been lightning, so we keep playing.
ReplyDeleteIn my SI, Tex Maule thinks that the Reds could surprise everyone and win the NL pennant.
ReplyDeleteChris Williams just made an appearance on ESPN. He's three over through 14 holes.
ReplyDeleteCharl Schwartzel started on the back nine, and was one over par at the turn. But he shot a 32 on the front to finish at 3 under for the day.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy finishes with a six-under 65. Mickelson shoots a three-over 74. Dustin Johnson shoots a 75.
ReplyDelete7 PM Leaderboard:
ReplyDelete1. R. McIlroy (NIR): -6 (18)
T2. Y.E. Yang (KOR): -3 (18)
T2. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -3 (18)
T4. S. Garcia (ESP): -2 (18)
T4. R. Palmer: -2 (18)
T4. K. Kim (KOR): -2 (18)
T4. L. Oosthuizen (RSA): -2 (18)
T4. S. Hend (AUS): -2 (18)
T4. A. Rocha (BRA): -2 (18)
Lightning in Madisonville cancels my swimming lessons with the daughter at the YMCA.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my nephew-in-law played intramural football with Jeff Overton at IU in the mid 2000s.